Liam Rosenior hails Derby start to season after dramatic win over Peterborough

Posted Sunday, August 28, 2022 by PA

Derby interim manager Liam Rosenior admitted his team’s start to the season has taken him by surprise after a 2-1 victory over 10-man Peterborough lifted them into the top six of League One.

Rosenior had only five players at the start of July after Derby had exited administration but his new-look squad has hit the ground running.

It had looked like being a frustrating afternoon for Derby, who wasted first-half chances before falling behind against 10 men.

Louie Sibley and Tom Barkhuizen had shots saved although Peterborough’s Ben Thompson fired over after a poor clearance from goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith early in the second half.

Peterborough had Nathan Thompson sent off for a second yellow card when he tripped Barkhuizen in the 56th minute but they went ahead in the 69th minute.

A Harrison Burrows corner was headed across by Frankie Kent and Josh Knight turned the ball in at the back post.

But Derby hit back in the closing minutes with Jason Knight heading in a corner in the 88th minute before David McGoldrick beat Lucas Bergstrom from 12 yards in the second minute of added time.

Rosenior said: “I couldn’t be happier and I don’t know if it’s ever happened in football before. I don’t know if people understand where we were as a club and where our squad was in July.

“We had five players so for us to get 11 points from six games and to perform the way we are week in and week out I could not be happier with the group of players and how it’s going.

“I hope people from the outside and supporters have a little bit of perspective because it’s amazing to see it progress in front of me because I could never have believed we would be here at this point.

“If you had said to me after six games we would be in the top six yet in July when teams had been back for two weeks we had five players, well, I don’t know what more anyone can do.”

Peterborough manager Grant McCann conceded the defeat was hard to take.

He said: “I’m just gutted for everyone really, I don’t think we deserved that.

“It was a tremendous reaction from us to get the goal, we tried to remain positive by keeping two forwards on the pitch but it wasn’t to be and it’s hard to take.

“I just felt the concentration levels weren’t as good as they have been.

“To a man we performed really well right up to the two goals they scored but there were too many balls lashed over the bar when we just needed a bit of calmness because we had some opportunities.”